After the drubbing they took at the polls last month, it’s understandable that Republicans are feeling a bit frustrated. But here in Michigan, Republican frustration has manifested in talk of so-called “right-to-work” legislation - an ill-advised and vindictive effort to retaliate against Democrats and organized labor.

After months of stating that “right-to-work” wasn’t on his agenda, Gov. Rick Snyder has flip-flopped, although he claims that no decision has been made on whether to ultimately press forward with a law to make Michigan a “right-to-work” state, the Free Press reported Tuesday.

Michigan faces a long list of actual problems. There’s no reason to create more headaches by pressing forward with legislation that’s deliberately designed to provoke organized labor in a state like Michigan at a time when our state’s largest city teeters on the brink.

Even if the ultimate goal of Michigan Republicans is to use the threat of a “right-to-work” law as a means of extracting cooperation from Democrats on other issues, (as the Tuesday story Free Press story suggested may be the case) Michigan doesn't need this distraction.